Adams dropped out of high school at age 16 to work in a shoe shop and make music. He formed a band named Whiskeytown in 1994; they disbanded in 1999 having released two full albums, Faithless Street and Strangers Almanac. Adams went on to put out his first solo record, Heartbreaker, in 2000. After a long delay, in 2001 Whiskeytown's third album Pneumonia was finally issued.
In 2002, Ryan contributed backing vocals on Butterfly in Reverse, from the Counting Crows album, Hard Candy; after Adam Duritz (Counting Crows lead singer) appeared on the album Gold.
Ryan is highly prolific, and in 2005 released one double album and two regular albums: Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29, respectively. His album, 29, was produced by friend Ethan Johns (who also produced his first two albums, Heartbreaker and Gold). In between those two releases and his 2005 triple-header, Ryan released Demolition (a collection of out-takes), Love Is Hell and Rock N Roll. Unreleased studio albums include 48 Hours, Exile On Franklin Street and Suicide Handbook.
In addition, Adams worked with Jesse Malin to form the punk-rock group The Finger (under the pseudonyms, "Warren Peace" and "Irving Plaza" respectively), who released two E.P.s which were collected together to form We Are Fuck You, released on One Little Indian Records in 2003.
In 2006 Ryan went on a minor UK-tour and a minor US-tour along the west-coast and has streamed 11+ mini albums on his website, under numerous jokey pseudonyms (DJ Reggie, Werewolph, The Shit, Rhoda Ro, Ghetto Birds).
The following solo record, entitled Easy Tiger, was released on June 26, 2007. The newest and last record with his backing band The Cardinals, Cardinology, was released in October 2008 and followed by extensive touring through the UK, US and Australia.
In January 2009 he announced that he would be going on an indefinite hiatus from music. The Kindness Songfacts reports that the major reason for Adams’ temporary retirement was his struggles with Ménière’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that wrecks havoc on hearing and balance. Adams resumed performing in October 2010, and released his thirteenth studio album, Ashes & Fire, on October 11, 2011. His now ex-wife, pop singer and actress Mandy Moore, contributed some backing vocals.
Twenty nine
Ryan Adams Lyrics
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Just like a motherless son of a bitch
Loaded on ephedrine looking for downers and coke
Like a sun that just wouldn't set out on the horizon
Singing and dancing to them nighttime songs
I took a train and came up from Carolina
Nothing I found could ever quite occupy me
With nothing to gain there's always nothing to lose
Singing and dancing to them nighttime songs
Cry me a river till the morning comes
I should've died a hundred thousand times
Teetering stoned off the side of buildings
Nobody loved me and nobody even tried
You cant hang on to something that wont stop moving
Singing and dancing to them nighttime songs
I got arrested down south for hitting a clerk
I spit in his face, the bastard knocked me out
He leered at my lady and then he touched her face
Thank God she had the money to bail me out
Singing and dancing to them nighttime songs
Cry me a river till the morning comes
Bar room boogie just like in the movies
Go on put it to me shake it till the rattles come on
Take me where the morning don't come
I had a dog named Jet, when I was a kid
Until one day he wandered off and died
One night I went in the yard and dug him up
And he laid in the box just like a pile of bones
Singing and dancing to them nighttime songs
I used to get loaded and baby Id drive your car
It seemed like there was always a cop
Coming behind me and following close as they could
Eventually they'd just trail off
Loaded and cruising to them nighttime songs
Cry me a river till the morning comes
Bar room boogie just like in the movies
Go on put it to me shake it till the rattles come on
Take me where the morning don't come
I think I died a hundred thousand times
Mixing liquor with mystery pills
Mystery pills and heroin mixed into cocaine
Face down out on the riverside
Most of my friends are married and making them babies
To most of them I already died
And whatever it is about you I've always hated
Is something about myself I just couldn't hide
And I'm going going baby I'm gone
So cry me a river to the other side of the morning
To where the morning don't come
To where the morning don't come
To where the morning don't come
The song "29" by Ryan Adams is a narrative of a young man's journey through his past in his 29th year. He reflects on his youth, his struggles with addiction, the loss of his dog, and his run-ins with the law. The opening lines set the scene of the kid's start in New York, as he sings about himself as a "poor little kid in the lungs of New York." He describes himself as a "motherless son of a bitch," and he is loaded on ephedrine, looking for downers and coke. The sun just wouldn't set out on the horizon for him, but he continued singing and dancing.
The person in the song then took a train from Carolina, saying he was looking for something to do, but no matter what he found, he couldn't occupy himself. He would always have nothing to lose with nothing to gain. He then reflects on the times he should've died teetering stoned off the side of buildings, with nobody loving or even trying to help him. The song progresses, and we glimpse the singer's run-in with the law as he sings about getting arrested down south for hitting a clerk. The law enforcement leers at his lady and her face, but luckily she bails him out.
The song concludes with the person acknowledging that most of his friends are married, and they are making babies. He reflects on his hate, which he knows is something about himself he just couldn't hide, and then he finishes with the chorus. In the chorus, he sings about going to where the morning doesn't come, where he can cry a river to the other side of the morning because the morning signifies the start of another day, bringing a new set of problems.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a poor little kid in the lungs of new York
I grew up in poverty in the busy streets of New York City
Just like a motherless son of a bitch
I always felt lost and alone growing up without a mother
Loaded on ephedrine looking for downers and coke
I was addicted to stimulants and constantly searching for more drugs to take
Like a sun that just wouldn't set out on the horizon
I felt like I couldn't escape my addiction and it always hung over me like a never-setting sun
Singing and dancing to them nighttime songs
I found solace in music and dancing, especially at night
I took a train and came up from Carolina
I left my hometown in search of something better
I was looking for something to do
I was aimless and searching for a purpose
Nothing I found could ever quite occupy me
I couldn't find fulfillment in anything I tried
With nothing to gain there's always nothing to lose
I felt and still feel that I have nothing to lose, but no real purpose or direction in life
Cry me a river till the morning comes
I often turned to tears and music to cope with my struggles
I should've died a hundred thousand times
I was reckless and lived a dangerous lifestyle that should've killed me many times over
Teetering stoned off the side of buildings
I put myself in dangerous situations while under the influence of drugs
Nobody loved me and nobody even tried
I felt unloved and abandoned throughout my life
You cant hang on to something that wont stop moving
I couldn't hold onto anything in my life because of my constant movement and instability
I got arrested down south for hitting a clerk
I was arrested for assault in the southern United States
He leered at my lady and then he touched her face
The clerk made inappropriate advances towards my girlfriend, causing me to react violently
Thank God she had the money to bail me out
I was grateful that my girlfriend had the means to get me out of jail
Bar room boogie just like in the movies
I often found myself dancing and socializing in bars like the ones seen in movies
Take me where the morning don't come
I wanted to escape from reality and the responsibilities that came with the morning
I had a dog named Jet, when I was a kid
I used to have a dog named Jet when I was younger
Until one day he wandered off and died
My dog Jet died after wandering away
And he laid in the box just like a pile of bones
When I dug up Jet's remains, all that was left were bones
I used to get loaded and baby Id drive your car
I used to drive under the influence of drugs
It seemed like there was always a cop
I often felt paranoid that I would get caught by the police
Coming behind me and following close as they could
I always thought the police were following me very closely
Eventually they'd just trail off
The police would eventually give up pursuing me
Mixing liquor with mystery pills
I would often combine alcohol with various types of drugs
Mystery pills and heroin mixed into cocaine
I sometimes mixed opioids and other drugs with cocaine
Face down out on the riverside
I ended up passed out or unconscious by a river
Most of my friends are married and making them babies
Most of my old acquaintances have settled down and started families
To most of them I already died
My old friends and acquaintances no longer know or care about me
And whatever it is about you I've always hated
I have always despised something about a certain person
Is something about myself I just couldn't hide
What I hated about that person was really a reflection of my own self-hatred and insecurities
And I'm going going baby I'm gone
I am leaving and disappearing from this person's life
To where the morning don't come
I want to escape my problems and responsibilities, and find a place where the morning never arrives
So cry me a river to the other side of the morning
I want to cry and express my pain until the morning never comes
To where the morning don't come
I want to escape from reality and the responsibilities that come with the morning
To where the morning don't come
I want to find a place where I can ignore my problems and exist without facing the consequences of my actions
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RYAN ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind